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BOSTON 

PUBLIC 

LIBRARY 


Report  of  the   Boston   Landmarks   Commission 

on  the  potential  designation  of 

BROOK    FARM 

as  a  Landmark  under  Chapter  772  of  the  Acts  of  1975 


Approved  by: 


.  ^/v.-    ^£-    .''^77 


6/C 


Approved   b 


E>f-e€jjtive  Diractor       Date 
Chairman  1  '     Daie        7T  j 


■;.     H«*- 


.-a^'^" 


1.0  LOCATION   OF  THE   PROPERTY 

1.1  Address:     670  Baker  Street,  West  Roxbury,  Ward  20.     Assessor's 
Parcel  numbers  are  8964,   8965  and  8966. 

1.2  Area  in  which  the  property  is  located:      Brook  Farm  provides  the 
name  for  its  region  of  West  Roxbury,   the  southwest-most  part  of 
Boston;   it  is  the  location  of  several  cemeteries,   a  large  landfill 
project,   and  a  new  high  school.     Nearby  is  the  Veterans  of  Foreign 
Wars  Parkway,   a  part  of  Route  1   built  in  the  1930's;   the  parkway  is 
a  busy  route  to  southern  suburbs,   such  as  Dedham.     The  farm  itself 
abuts  the  City  of  Newton. 

Annexed  to  Boston  in  1874,  West  Roxbury  is  a  suburban-type  community, 
consisting  mostly  of  single-  and  two-family  homes. 

1.3  Map  showing  location:     attached 


( 


WEST  ROXBURY 


1000        2000 


4000 


Brook  Farm  mimiiu 


FEET 


(S 


DEDHAM 


SAWMILL  MARSH  STUDY 
Base  Map 

BOSTON  CONSERVATION  COMMISSION 


® 

N 


2.0  DESCRIPTION   OF  THE   PROPERTY 

2.1  Type  and  Use: 

Of  the  original   Brook  Farm,   50  acres  are  now  used  as  Gethsemane 
Cemetery,   established  by  the  Association  of  the  Evangelical   Lutheran 
Church  for  Works  of  Mercy.     The  Association  also  owns  approximately 
95  acres  formerly  used  as  an  orphange.     These  95  acres  are  now 
vacant. 

2.2  Physical   Description: 

This  description  of  the  extensive  grounds  of  Brook  Farm,  over  175 
acres,   is  based  principally  on  that  contained  in  the  Boston  Conser- 
vation Commission's  Sawmill  Marsh  study,  from  which  the  maps  are 
taken.     The  maps  cover  the  entire  sawmill  Marsh  area;  only  that 
section  marked  in  the  base  map  (following  Section  1.3)  is  covered 
in  this  report.     Other  information  was  obtained  from  the  West 
Roxbury  Historical  Society. 

Surficial  Geology  (See  Surficial  Geology  map) 

Although  there  are  several  significant  bedrock  outcroppings  (pro- 
trusions through  the  soil),  the  three  dominant  geological  features 
of  Brook  Farm  are: 

1.       the  wetlands,  which  include  the  following  types  (as  defined  by 
the  U.S.   Department  of  the  Interior): 

Seasonally  Emergent  Flats:     A  flood  plain  where  annual  flooding 
covers  the  land  within  12  inches  or  more  of  water.     Grass  and 
sedge-type  vegetation  dominate,   with  cattails  and  purple 
loosestrife  common  in  the  water  area.     Some  shrubs  and  trees 
are  also  present.      Robust  Shallow  Marsh:     dominated  by  emergent 
cattails  and  duckweed,   with  purple  loosestrife  also  abundant. 
Water  depth  is  less  than  six  inches,   and  may  be  exposed  during 
the  growing  season. 

Shrub  swamps:     Where  the  ground  is  covered  with  as  much  as  12 
inches  of  water,   and  shrubs  are  the  dominant  plant  form.     The 
sapling  shrub  swamps  are  cominated  by  young  trees  less  than  20 
feet  tall-species  include  red  maple,   hornbeam,   speckled  alder, 
and  willow.      Bushy  shrub  swamps  are  dominated  by  such  shrubs 
as  high  bush  blueberry,   alder,   and  viburnum. 

Wooded  swamps:     dominated  by  trees  and  flooded  annually  by  as 
much  as  12  inches  of  water.     Species  here  are  deciduous,   such 
as  red  maple,   silver  maple,   red  ash,   American  elm,   and  yellow 
birch.     Location  of  these  types  are  on  the  attached  wetlands 
map. 


( 


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,V 


Sawmill   Marsh   Study 
Surficial  Geology 


N 

O         400 


KEY 


Robust  Shallow  Harsh 
Emergent  Flats 
Sapling  Shrub  Swamp 
Bushy  Shruk   Swamp 
Wooded   Swamp 


Sawmill   Marsh   Study    ^ 


Wetlands 


«• 


N 


400 


2.  Uplands:     This  dry  upland  is  elevated  above  the  wetlands, 
surmounted  by  an  elevation  of  55  feet  above  surrounding  land 
at  the  cemetery. 

3.  Sawmill   Brook  (or  Brook  Farm  Brook),   which  has  been  partially 
channelized  to  circumvent  the  adjacent  City  of  Boston  sanitary 
landfill. 

The  rock  outcroppings  are  of  Roxbury  puddingstone,   more  correctly 
called  Roxbury  conglomerate,   a  formation  of  glacially  rounded 
debris  cemented  by  finer  material. 

Physical   Improvements  (see  Cultural   Features  map) 

The  numbers  with  each  improvement  are  coded  to  the  map. 

1.  Site  of  the  Hive  -  the  original  farmhouse  was  located  here. 

A  replica  of  that  house,   built  on  the  same  foundations,   burned 
in  1977. 

2.  Print  Shop  Building 

The  Print  Shop  is  a  wood  frame,  two  storey,   rectangular  plan 
structure  covered  by  a  ridged  roof.     The  side  set  entry  is  on 
the  east  gable  end;   the  opposite  gable  end  has  a  one  storey 
shed  whose  roof  abuts  the  end  wall  at  the  level  of  the  second 
storey  window  sills.     The  structure  is  3  bays  by  6  bays, 
although  the  north  wall  has  only  5  windows  reflecting  interior 
spatial  divisions.     The  windows  are  filled  with  two  over  two 
pane  rectangular  sash  with  plain  frames.     The  simple  entryway 
is  covered  by  a  pedimented  hood  without  any  additional  moulding. 
The  walls  are  sheathed  in  imitation  clapboard  of  a  light 
color,   and  the  roof  is  covered  with  asbestos  shingle. 

3.  The  Dell   -  dominated  by  pines:     a  former  site  of  religious 
services. 

4.  Two  granite  gateposts  remain  from  former  dairy  farming  activities 
dating  from  the  17th  century. 

5.  Foundations  remain  of  a  barn  built  by  the  Brook  Farmers;   the 
barn  burned  in  the  I920's. 

6.  Timbers  visible  in  the  meadow  near  the  Margaret  Fuller  cottage 
are  remnants  of  another  barn  that  burned.  Nearby  is  the  site 
of  the  Pilgrim  House,  built  by  the  Morton  brothers  of  Plymouth 
in  1843  and  later  used  for  dormitories. 


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Sanitary 

Landfill 

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Sawmill   Marsh   Study    ^ 
Cultural   Features    -- 


r 


N 


400 


7.       Margaret  Fuller  Cottage: 

The  Margaret  Fuller  Cottage  is  a  considerably  remodeled  cruciform 
plan,  one  and  a  half  storey  structure  with  an  intersecting 
gable  roof.     Windows  are  centrally  placed  in  each  of  the  major 
elevations  and  in  the  gable  ends  on  the  upper  storey.     The 
legs  of  the  plan  differ  in  size  somewhat,   and  are  partially 
sheathed  with  clapboards  or,   especially  in  the  gables,   are 
covered  with  plywood  sheets  with  applied  wood  strips  in  a 
rectilinear  pattern.     The  roof  is  covered  with  asphalt  shingles. 
The  entrance  is  located  in  the  east  leg  where  it  abuts  the 
other  leg. 

9.  A  cannon  from  the  U.S.S.   Constituion  was  placed  at  Brook  Farm 
in  memory  of  Civil  War  Camp  Andrew.     Originally  near  the  main 
house,  the  cannon  now  is  on  the  cemetery  grounds. 

10.  A  munitions  storage  vault  serving  Camp  Andrew  is  located  in  a 
steep  hill  adjacent  to  the  cemetery  road. 

11.  Stone  foundations  of  a  milk  storage  structure  are  located  in 
the  bank  above  Sawmill   Brook,   where  it  enters  the  site. 

12.  Gethsemane  Cemetery,   founded  concurrently  with  the  orphanage 
in  1872,   is  a  cemetery  on  the  heights  of  the  property.      Elevated 
approximately  55  feet  above  the  surrounding  propety,  the 
cemetery's  highest  point  is  surmounted  by  an  obelisk  marking 
the  grave  of  Gottlieb  F.    Burkhardt,   donor  of  the  property. 
Other  graves  are  located  nearly,   with  areas  being  cleared  for 
new  graves  and  filling  operations  taking  place  in  the  adjoining 
marshlands.     The  administration  building,   dating  from  the 
1950's,   is  located  near  the  Baker  Street  entrance  (13). 

14.  Site  of  the  Eyrie,   the  main  school  and  first  building  erected 
by  the  Brook  farmers.     This  was  built  at  the  highest  point  of 
the  immediate  area  (approximately  55  feet  above  the  marshland) 
on  a  Roxbury  puddingstone  foundation. 

15.  Site  of  the  Phalanstery,   which  burned  in  1846  just  short  of 
completion. 

2.3     PHYSICAL   HISTORY 

Use  of  the  property  began  in  early  colonial  times,   mainly  as  pasturage 
for  dairy  herds;   the  sandy  and  rocky  soil  was  unsuitable  for  crops. 


The  Brook  Farmers  bought  their  farm  in  1841,   including  "a  dwelling 
house  (the  hive),   barn,   and  other  buildings  thereon".    (Norfolk  Co. 
Register  of  Deeds,    Liber  133,    Folio  57).     The  property  then  consisted 
of  two  parcels  totalling  192  acres  -  accurate  boundaries  are  difficult 
to  pinpoint  because  of  a  lack  of  maps  and  style  of  defining  boundaries, 
with  reference  to  other  property  owners. 

The  first  survey  of  the  property  in  1900  revealed  a  plot  of  179 
acres.      Road  construction  and  widening  further  reduced  the  size  of 
the  land  to  its  present  175  acres. 

The  large  Gardner  Street  landfill  abutting  Brook  Farm  has  affected 
the  layout  of  the  wetlands  and  the  brook.      Rechanneled  around  the 
fill,  the  brook's  marsh  has  markedly  changed  since  1900  (cf. 
attached  map.   Conservation  p.   26) 

2.4     Photographs  -  attached. 


f) 


1900 


Figure  6.     The  two  maps  ehoj  the  changing  topography  within  the 
Twentieth  Century.     The  mope  are  based  on  U.S.G.S. 
Quadrangle  Maps  of  1902  (Survey  in  1899)  and  1970. 


BROOK  FARM 
Sawmill  Brook 


photo  June  1977  R.E.  Stanton 


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3.0  SIGNIFICANCE 

3.1  Historic  Associations 

The  historic  significance  of  Brook   Farm  rests  in  three  areas: 
Principally,   as  the  most  intellectual  of  the  Utopian  communities 
that  appeared  and  disappeared   in  America  in  the  early  19th  century; 
as  a  military  training  ground  for  a  famous  Civil  War  regiment;   and 
also  as  a  site  for  over  a  century  a  home  for  children  operated   by  a 
religious  community. 

Brook  Farm,   unlike  other  such  Utopias,   had  its  grounding  in  mainstream 
American  religious  philosophy.     The  movement  toward  separate, 
idealized  communities  is  traceable  as  far  back  as  the  monasteries 
of  Europe.      Little  tolerance  existed  even  for  non-Catholic  in 
countries  that  had  established  churches,   as  such  groups  as  Puritans 
and  Anabaptists  discovered  in   England.      The  Pilgrims  of  Plymouth, 
in  establishing  their  theocracy,   founded  a  Utopia  of  sorts  for 
themselves  in  the  17th  century.     Similarly,   Mennonites  from  Germany 
founded  an  early  "Plockhoy's  Commonwealth"  along  the  Delaware 
River. 

Many  of  the  Utopian  communities  founded  in  the  early  1800's  were 
the  result  of  such  persecution  in   Europe;  the  concept  of  religious 
liberty  in  the  new  United  States  was  truly  revolutionary  to  a 
Europe  of  anathema  and  excommunication.      Fleeing  the  individual 
problems  of  Europe,   these  leaders  came  to  America  to  set  up  their 
own  model  societies.     Over  100  communities,   with  a  total  membership 
of  more  than  100,000  men,   women  and  children,   were  tried  out  in  the 
19th  century  to  provide  examples  that  the  world  would  follow. 
(Holloway,   pp.   17-19).     Only  one  such  society  has  survived,  the 
Mormons,   a  native  American  group  who  to  avoid  persecution  in  the 
not  entirely  tolerant  United  States  had  to  both  disavow  belief  in 
polygamy  and  establish  their  own  secular  government  in  Utah  wilderness. 
(Hinds,   p.    ii) 

Brook  Farm  by  contrast,   was  grounded  in  Unitarianism,   a  religion 
that  had  been  developing  popularity  in  New  England:     many  of  the 
first  Puritan  churches  had  become  Unitarian  in  the  early  19th 
century  (e.g.,  the  First  and  Second  Churches  in  Boston).      Liberal 
for  its  time,  the  church  was  not  liberal  enough  for  one  of  its 
ministers,   George  Ripley.     He  joined  William  E.   Channing's  Trans- 
cendental Club  (ultimately  resigning  his  ministry  in  1841).      "In 
its  New  England  form  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  extended  beliefs  of  that 
church  (Unitarianism)  until  they  could  find  a  place  for  the  nascent 
evolutionist  science  of  the  day,   and  the  newly  explored  mysticism 
of  the  East.   Transcendentalism  was  thus  a  humanist  religion,   'with 
an  unswerving  witness  in  the  soul',  open  to  evolutionists,   monists, 
and  pragmatists,   as  well  as  to  anyone  who  believed  'an  order  of 
truth  that  transcends  the  sphere  of  the  external  senses.'"   (Holloway, 
p.   128) 


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Man   had,    in  the  view  of  the  Transcendentalists,    an   intuitive 
ability  to  discern  spiritual  truths;  this  view  contrasted  sharply 
with  the  prevailing  religious  view  of  the  time,  that  spiritual 
knowledge  came  only  from  special  grace  because  of  man's  inner 
depravity.      (Codman,   p.   4)     Transcendentalism  was  "the  faith  of  the 
American   Romantic  Revival  in  literature — of  Emerson,   Thoreau,   and 
Hawthorne —  and  it  inspired  the  humanitariansim  of  Bronson  Allcott, 
Theodore  Parker,   Margaret  Fuller,    Elizabeth   Palmer  Peabody,   and 
many  others".     (Holloway,  op.   cit.) 

Like  the  other  philosphies  that  produced  separate  communities. 
Transcendentalism  did  not  advocate  waiting  until  eternity  for  an 
ideal   society.      It  "summed  up  the  lesson  and  meaning  of  all   good 
doctrines,  that  man  should  lead  a  better  life  here,   where  the 
duties  to  our  fellows  should  not  be  passed  by  as  now,   but  fulfilled." 
(Codman,    p.    5)     Ripley  used  the  January  1842  edition  of  The  Dial, 
the  publication  of  the  Transcendental  Club,   to  explain  the  beginnings 
the  year  before  of  Brook  Farm: 

In  order  to  live  a  religious  and  moral   life  worthy  of  the 
name,  they  feel  it  is  necessary  to  come  out  in  some  degree 
from  the  world,   and  form  themselves  into  a  community  of  property, 
so  far  as  to  exclude  competition  and  the  ordinary  rules  of 
trade; — while  they  reserve  sufficient  private  property,   or 
the  means  of  obtaining  it,  for  all   purposes  of  independence, 
and  isolation  at  will.     They  have  bought  a  farm,   in  order  to 
make  agriculture  the  basis  of  their  life,   it  being  the  most 
direct  and  simple  in  relation  to  nature.    (Fogarty,   p.   63) 

Brook  Farm  was  established  as  a  cooperative:     the  property  owners, 
who  had  purchased  stock  at  $500  per  share  to  establish  the  Brook 
Farm  Institute  of  Agriculture  and   Education,   received  a  fixed 
income  from  their  shares.     The  farm  was  bought  from  Charles  and 
Maria  Ellis  on  October  14,   1841.      Financial  success  was  never 
sought  at  Brook   Farm,   and  thus  was  never  found.    (Holloway,    p.    152) 
All  those  living  on  the  farm  were  to  work,   receiving  the  same  wage 
without  regard  to  the  nature  of  their  tasks.     Those  who  were  ill 
were  not  required  to  work;   the  stockholders  were  penalized  only 
their  interest  if  they  chose  not  to  work.      "This  principle  (uniform 
wage)  with  regard  to  labor  lies  at  the  root  of  moral  and  religious 
life;  for  it  is  not  more  true  that  'money  is  the  root  of  all  evil; 
than  that  labor  is  the  germ  of  all  good."   (Fogarty,   p.   67) 

Only  two  members  of  the  Transcendental  Club,   John  S.    Dwight  and 
Nathaniel   Hawthorne,   would  join  the  first  20  members  of  Brook  Farm. 
Emerson  sometimes  spoke  favorably  of  the  experiment,   but  declined 
membership,   calling  the  farm  "a  perpetual  picnic,   a  French  revolution 
in  small,   an  age  of  reason  in  a  patty  pan."     (Holloway,   p.   128) 


I 


c- 


This  attitude  stems  from  Emerson's  perception  of  typical  intellectual 
"awe  of  manual   labor  and  the  good  earth."   (ibid.)     Hawthorne  even 
found  himself  too  worn  out  from  farm  work  and  unable  to  write;   he 
left  complaining,   "I   cannot  endure  being  chambermaid  to  a  cow." 
(Boston  200,    p.   5)     A  contemporary  of  Hawthorne's  at  Brook  Farm 
cited  Hawthorne's  shyness  as  the  reason  for  his  dissatisfaction:    ". 
.    .   no  one  could  be  more  out  of  place  than  he  in  a  mixed  company   . 
.    ."   (Codman,   p.   21) 

The  education  cited  in  the  cooperative's  title  was  provided  by  the 
school,   begun  at  a  neighbor's  cottage  in  1841.     The  boarding  school's 
goals  was  to  develop  the  creative  ability  of  its  students,   allowing 
them  freedom  to  select  their  own  subjects  without  "meaningless 
discipline."     (Holloway,   p.   131)     Among  students  at  the  school  were 
George  William  and  James  Burrill  Curtis;      Isaac  Hecker,   who  converted 
to  Catholicism  and  founded  the  Paulist  religious  order;   and   Francis 
Barlow,   Attorney  General  of  New  York  and  prosecutor  of  the  Tweed 
Ring. 

On  their  arrival  at  the  farm,    Ripley's  group  found  one  major  building, 
a  farm  house  which  they  used  as  their  central   residence.     Soon  it 
was  nicknamed  "The  Hive":     "All  the  Bees  were  at  the  Hive..." 
(Orvis,   p.   2)     At  first,  the  Brook  Farm  school  was  located  in  a 
rented  neighbor's  cottage;  thereafter,   the  farmers  built  a  small 
square  wooden  building  called  the  Eyrie  on  puddingstone  at  the 
highest  point  of  the  farm.     The  Ripleys  lived  there,    (WRHS),   and  it 
contained  other  residences,   the  school,   a  library,   and  pianos 
(Orvis,  op.cit.)     A  duplex  house  was  obtained  by  the  Brook  Farmers 
and  named  the  Pilgrim  House.    (Codman,   p. 23)     The  farmers  also 
erected  a  shop  building,   still  standing,   with  a  steam  engine  in  the 
basement,   printing  and  carpentry  shops  on  the  first  floor,   and  shoe 
and  pewter  shops  on  the  third  story.    (WRHS) 

After  nearly  two  years  as  a  transcendentalist  society,    Ripley's 
farm  was  converted  to  a  different  form  of  Utopia,  following  the 
philosophy  of  Charles  Fourier  (1772-1837),   a  French  social  critic. 
Rather  than  being  a  place  to  sharpen  the  individual  mind,   a   Fourierist 
society  was  an  end  in  itself.     The  Frenchman   rejected  18th  century 
science  and  19th  century  liberalism,  the  sources  of  many  other 
societies.     "Civilized  man  was  artifical,   because  he  had  purchased 
his  civilization  at  the  expense  of  his  passional  attractions." 
(Fogarty  p.   54) 

Fourier  devised  an  elaborate  social  system,   called  a  Phalanx,   which 
he  believed  would  multiply  until  exactly  2,985,984  Phalanxes  with 
1,600  members  apiece  would  exist.      (Holloway,   p.   138)     Everything 
was  naturally  arranged  in  groups  and  series,   claimed   Fourier,   and 
arranging  society  and  work  into  such  series  was  a  proper  social 
development  of  the  12  passions  that  made  for  ideal  society.     At 
that  time  society  was  a  "sink  of  corruption"   (quoted  in   Holloway, 
p.   137)  because  of  60  malevolent  characteristics. 


< 


Following  a  visit  by  Ripley  and  others  to  a  Fourierist  meeting  in 
New  York  City,    Brook  Farm  issued  its  first  statement  of  support  for 
Fourier's  theories  on  January  18,   1844.     The  farm's  new  publication. 
The  Harbinger,   was  a  major  voice  in   Fourierist  literature;   the 
association  formally  changed  its  name  to  the  Brook  Farm  Phalanx, 
and  decided  to  build  a  Phalanstery  building  in  the  Spring  of  1844. 
This  building,   on  a  foundation  of  puddingstone,   was  designed  to  be 
three  stories  high,   175  feet  long,   with  an  attic  and  suites  for 
seven  families.      (WRHS)     All  public  rooms  on  the  farm  were  to  be 
contained  here,   as  well  as  a  dining  room  for  over  300  persons 
(Orvis,   p.   14),   reflecting  the  optimism  of  a  group  that  at  no  time 
had  more  than  120  members  (with  some  sources,   such  as  Holloway, 
claiming  never  more  than  70  or  80).      But  after  two  years  of  constant 
labor  and  an  expenditure  of  $7,000,   the  building  burned  to  the 
ground  on  March  3,    1846,   while  the  Brook   Farmers  were  attending  a 
play  in  the  main  house  (Codman,   p.   190)     Another  $3,000  was  to  be 
spent  to  complete  the  Phalanstery;   "The  Great  Catastrophe"   (as 
Codman  titled  his  chapter  on  the  fire)  was  a  major  symbolic  and 
financial  blow  from  which  Brook  Farm  never  recovered.      Had  the  fire 
not  precipitated  the  farm's  dec  line,   it  "might  have  shared  the 
ignominious  fate  of  so  many  communities,   petering  out  amid  an 
unseemly  wrangle  of  dissension."   (Holloway,   p.   154)     The  school 
closed  also,   hurt  by  the  public's  perception  of  the  Fourierist  farm 
as  socialist  and  by  smallpox  that  struck  30  farmers  (although  none 
died)  (WRHS),   and  The  Harbinger  ceased  publication. 

Ripley  believed  himself  responsible  for  Brook  Farm's  financial 
ruin;   he  had  invested  much  time  and  money  in  the  project,   and  left 
the  farm  in  debt.      He  ultimately  paid  the  farm's  debts  with  revenue 
from  free-lance  writing  and  a  job  at  the  New  York  Tribune.      (Codman, 
pp.   237f) 

In  1849,  the  farm  was  sold  for  $19,500  at  public  auction  to  the 
town  of  Roxbury,   which  used  the  land  for  a  poor  house.      In  1855, 
the  Rev.   James  Freeman  Clarke  bought  the  property  from  the  town;   he 
loaned  it  to  the  Commonwealth  during  the  Civil  War  for  use  as  a 
training  field.     The  Second  Regiment  of  Massachusetts   Infantry 
trained  here  at  "Camp  Andrew." 

Sold  in  1868  to  Larence  and  James  Munroe  for  use  as  a  summer  boarding 
house,  the  property  was  sold  again  in  1870  by  Gottlieb  F.    Burkhardt, 
a  German  immigrant  who  the  next  year  formed  the  Association  of  the 
Evangelical   Lutheran  Church  for  Works  of  Mercy.     This  association 
was  founded  to  provide  temporary  homes  for  orphan  children,  the 
aged  and  weak,   and  to  establish  a  cemetery.     On  October  3,   1872, 
the  Martin  Luther  Orphans  Home  was  dedicated,   and  in  March  1873 
Gethesemane  Cemetery  was  laid  out.      Except  for  four  years  in  the 
1940's,  the  Orphans  Home  operated  for  103  years  until  its  closing 
in  1974. 


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3.2     Relationship  to  the  Criteria  for  Landmark  Designation 

Brook  Farm  clearly  meets  two  criteria  for  designation  as  a  Landmark 
as  defined  in  Chapter  772  of  the  Acts  of  1975.      First,   it  is  listed 
as  a  National   Historic  Landmark  on  the  National   Register  of  Historic 
Places.     Second,   it  is  the  site  with  one  of  the  most  famous  social 
experiments  in   19th  century  America,   and  was  a  major  training 
ground  for  Civil  War  militia,  thus  significant  to  the  social  and 
military  history  of  the  City  of  Boston,   the  New  England  region,   the 
Commonwealth,   and  the  nation. 


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4 


4.0  ECONOMIC  STATUS 

4.1  Assessed  Value 

The  assessed  value  of  the  three  parcels  composing  Brook  Farm  is 
$1,525,300.     The  various  buildings  on  the  property  are  not  given  an 
assessed  value  in  Assessing  Department  records;   thus,   the  entire 
value  of  the  property  is  based  on  the  land  only.     The  property  is 
tax  exempt  by  Code  11,  owned  by  a  religious  house  of  worship. 

4.2  Current  Ownership  and  Status 

The  Lutheran  Works  of  Mercy  organization  ceased  operation  of  the 
Martin   Luther  Orphans  Home  in  1974.     Chapter  1225  of  the  Acts  of 
1973  has  authorized  and  directed  the  Metropolitan  District  Commission 
to  acquire  the  property  from  its  present  owners;   30  acres  of  Gethsemane 
Cemetery  are  specifically  excluded  from  the  acquisition  authorization. 
The  MDC  is  currently  negotiating  with  the  owners  for  a  purchase 
price  of  the  property. 


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5.0  PLANNING  CONTEXT 

5.1  Background 

The  area  known  today  as  West  Roxbury  was  in  its  early  years  part  of 
the  Town  of  Roxbury,  founded  in  1630.     At  that  time  the  district 
was  wooded  and  rocky,   with  marshes  along  the  Charles  River.     The 
flatlands  were  devoted   primarily  to  farming.      By  the  early  1800's, 
the  rudiments  of  West  Roxbury  Village  had  formed  along  Centre 
Street  near  Spring  Street. 

As  a  result  of  a  conflict  between  the  rural  and  the  more  developed 
parts  of  Roxbury,  West  Roxbury  split  off  from  Roxbury  in  1851.     The 
rural  Town  of  West  Roxbury  included  areas  known  today  as  Jamaica 
Plain,    Roslindale,   and  West  Roxbury. 

In  that  same  year  of  the  new  town's  formation  the  seeds  of  its  own 
urbanization  appeared  with  the  opening  of  the  Dedham  Branch  of  the 
railroad.     The  railroad  brought  West  Roxbury  within  easy  commuting 
distance  of  Boston  and  small  scale  entrepreneurs  began  building 
homes  for  the  commuting  middle  classes  in  the  vicinity  of  the  rail 
lines. 

A  second  wave  of  home  building  occurred  in  the  mid  80's  and  90's 
after  West  Roxbury  was  annexed  to  Boston,   and  a  major  building  boom 
occurred  in  the  1920's.     The  years  immediately  following  World  War 
II   brought  construction  to  the  Brook  Farm  -  Sawmill  area,   bringing 
the  homes  in  this  area  to  about  three-fourths  their  present  number. 
Construction  in  the  last  two  decades  has  concentrated  in  the  most 
southerly  portions  of  the  district. 

West  Roxbury  is  suburban  in  character.      Unlike  many  other  neighborhods 
in  Boston,   most  of  the  district  consists  of  well  maintained  single 
and  two  family  homes.     There  are  also  a  number  of  apartment  complexes, 
which  range  in  size  from  small  16-18  unit  buildings  to  large  multi- 
structure  developments. 

Population  in  West  Roxbury  increased  24%  between  1960  and  1970  to 
35,410.     The  median  income  for  the  area  in  1975  was  the  highest  in 
the  city,   with  the  exception  of  the  Back  Bay  -  Beacon  Hill  area. 
This  median  figure  of  $12,285  was  $3,152  above  the  overall  City 
median.     The  area  has  the  highest  percentage  of  persons  over  65  of 
any  district  in  Boston. 


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5.2  Current  Planning   Issues 

In  a  Fall,   1976  report  entitled  "West  Roxbury,   District  Profile  and 
Proposed  1977-1979  Neighborhood   Improvement  Program",  the  Boston 
Redevelopment  Authority  identified  commercial  area  decline,   the 
negative  impact  of  the  existing  Gardner  Street  Dump,   public  trans- 
portation needs  and  the  future  of  an  80  acre  stone  quarry  site  as 
key  planning  issues  in  the  district.     One  of  these  issues  -  the 
Gardner  Street  Dump,   directly  relates  to  Brook  Farm,   as  sanitary 
landfill  activities  are  clearly  visible  from  the  historic  area  and 
the  years  of  filling  have  created  a  steep  sided  hill  adjacent  to 
part  of  the  property. 

The  City  has  been  discussing  the  closing  of  the  Gardner  Street  Dump 
for  a  number  of  years,   but  the  Federally  ordered  closing  of  the 
City  incinerator  has  prolonged  the  use  of  this  site  which  is  the 
only  sanitary  landfill  area  in  the  City.      In  addition  to  being  a 
visual  blight,  the  Dump  causes  truck  traffic  which  is  disturbing  to 
local  residents  and  hinders  optimium  recreational  use  of  Charles 
River  frontage.     The  Boston   Redevelopment  Authority  has  recommended 
that  the  phaseout  of  the  dump  be  accelerated,   that  a  study  be  made 
of  the  reuse  which  could  be  made  of  the  site,   and  that  extensive 
planting  be  carried  out. 

Planning  issues  directly  related  to  Brook  Farm  and  the  proposed 
Sawmill  IVlarsh  conservation  area  pertain  to  the  type  of  recreational 
uses  and  facilities  to  be  accomodated  and  the  access  and  support 
facilities  for  Gethsamane  Cemetery.     The  statute  authorizing  and 
directing  the  Metropolitan  District  Commission  to  acquire  the 
Sawmill  Brook  valley  and  Brook  Farm  states  that  the  purposes  will 
be  for  conservation,   natural  water  storage  of  flood  waters,   historic 
scenic  and  passive  recreational  purposes...."     The  M.D.C.   has  not 
as  yet  developed  a  specific  set  of  plans  for  the  treatment  of  the 
area  to  be  acquired.     However  the  intentions  of  the  agency  appear 
to  be  to  minimize  physical  changes  to  the  property.     No  specific 
active  recreational  facilities,   such  as  tot  lots  or  boat  launches, 
are  presently  contemplated.     Specific  uses  for  the  remaining  Brook 
Farm  buildings  have  not  been  identified,   althoug  the  M.D.C.    recognizes 
the  desirability  of  having  the  buildings  occupied.     Arrangements 
with  Gethsemane  Cemetery  concerning  access  and  support  facilities 
have  not  been  concluded. 

5.3  Brook  Farm  is  zoned  S-.3,   permitting  only  single-family  residences 
with  allowable  density  (or  floor-area  ratio)  of  3/10  of  the  total 

land  surface  area.     Brook  Farm  is  nowhere  near  this  allowable  limit. 


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6.0     ALTERNATIVE  APPROACHES 

In  that  Brook  Farm  lies  outside  the  area  of  Boston  in  which  only 
Landmarks  may  be  designated,   the  Boston   Landmarks  Commission  may 
choose  to  designate  Brook  Farm  as  either  a  Landmark,   or  as  part  of 
Landmark  District  or  Architectural  Conservation  District. 

However,  the  activities  that  made  Brook  Farm  significant  took  place 
almost  entirely  on  the  one  site  (except  for  the  beginning  of  the 
school,   which  took  place  in  a  neighbor's  cottage),   and  accordingly 
the  single  Brook  Farm  site  most  clearly  fits  designation  as  a 
Landmark. 

In  spite  of  the  clear  eligibility  for  designation,   the  Commission 
may  also  choose  not  to  designate  the  property. 


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7.0     RECOMMENDATIONS 

The  staff  of  the  Boston   Landmarks  Commission  recommends  that  Brook 
Farm  be  designated  a  Landmark  under  Chapter  772  of  the  Acts  of 
1975.     The  Commission  should  also  investigate  the  possible  designation 
of  a  Protection  Area  to  restrict  size  and  scale  of  development  in 
neighboring  areas. 

Boundaries  of  the  Landmark  parcel  should  conform  to  the  three 
adjacent  assessor's  parcels  numbered  8964,   8965  and  8966,  Ward  20. 
Recommended  standards  and  criteria  for  administering  the  regulatory 
functions  in  the  statute  are  attached. 


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STANDARDS  &  CRITERIA,    BROOK   FARM 


A.       General 


1.  As  this  landmark  consists  of  a  series  of  buildings  and  the 
land  on  which  they  are  sited,   all  changes  will  be  viewed  in 
terms  of  their  effect  on  the  overall  complex  as  well  as  on  the 
individual  building  or  landscape  element. 

2.  The  intent  should  be  to  maintain  Brook  Farm's  existing  pastoral 
landscape  character. 

3.  No  uses,   permanent  or  temporary,   should  be  allowed  other  than 
passive  recreation  or  such  other  uses  as  are  historically 
appropriate. 

4.  Introduction  of  unrelated  park,   recreational  or  support  facil- 
ities should  be  minimized. 

5.  Maintenance  and  replacement  of  existing  elements  should  be 
done  in  a  manner  to  be  consistent  with  the  existing  historic 
and  scenic  landscape  character. 

6.  No  new  elements  should  be  permitted  which  would  alter  special 
vistas  or  open  spaces. 

7.  Existing  elements  which  are  visual  intrusions  should  be  removed, 
if  possible,  or  screened. 

B.       Buildings 

1.  Before  any  alterations  are  made  to  the  present  shop  building 
or  the  Margaret  Fuller  cottage,   a  preservation  plan  for  each 
building  should  be  developed.     Such  plans  should  include 
information  from  physical  and  documentary  analysis  pertaining 
to  the  original  appearance  of  the  buildings  and  the  changes 
which  have  occurred  to  them  over  time.     A  decision  should  then 
be  made  whether  to  preserve  the  existing  buildings  in  their 
present  form  or  restore  them  to  a  prior  appearance.     Solid 
philosophical  grounds  for  the  proposed  preservation  approach 
should  be  presented  prior  to  any  concrete  plan. 

2.  New  uses  for  the  buildings  should  be  compatible  with  their 
uses  over  time  and  should  minimize  alteration  to  the  buildings 
and  their  environment. 

3.  Foundations  and  other  elements  remaining  from  demolished 
buildings  or  other  structures  should  remain  in  place,   stabilized 
as  necessary. 


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4.       Any  new  buildings  or  additions  to  existing  buildings  should  be 
compatible  in  scale,   materials  and  general  form  with  the 
existing  buildings  and  environment.      In  general,   such  buildings 
and  additions  are  discouraged. 

C.  Walks,   Steps  and  Paved  Areas 

1.  New  areas  of  bituminous  concrete  should  be  avoided.     Wherever 
possible,   pavement  should   be  removed. 

2.  Paths  and  walkways  should  be  surfaced  unobtrusively.     Natural 
materials  such  as  gravel  or  bark  mulch  are  to  be  preferred  to 
bituminous  concrete.     Paths  in  the  marsh  area  should  be  of 
wood. 

3.  Steps  and  stairs  should  also  be  unobtrusive  and  informal   in 
character. 

D.  Signs  and  Markers 

1.  A  simple  and  consistent  signage  system  should  be  adopted  for 
interpreting  natural  and  historic  aspects  fo  the  site. 

2.  Additional  interpretive  devices  may  be  used  at  the  locations 
of  buildings  and  building  sites,   and  other  key  locations. 
Such  devices  should,   if  possible,   use  natural  materials  and 
should  be  in  harmony  with  the  pastoral  character  of  the  site. 
However,   innovative  approaches  to  interpretation  are  encouraged. 

E.  Lighting  and  Other  Fixtures 

1.  Consideration  should  be  given  to  providing  lighting  through 
fixtures  at  ground  level  or  located  in  trees  -  so  as  to  minimize 
the  effect  during  daylight  hours. 

2.  Trash  receptacles,   if  installed,   should  be  simple,  functional 
and  unobtrusive.      Natural  materials  are  to  be  preferred. 

F.  Natural   Resources 

1.  The  present  variety  of  environments  should  be  retained. 
Management  of  the  natural   resources  should  reflect  an  under- 
standing of  the  agricultural  use  of  the  property  during  the 
Brook  Farm  experiment  and  the  military  purposes  of  Camp  Andrew. 

2.  New  additions  or  alterations  to  the  landscape  should  not 
disrupt  the  essential  form  and  integrity  of  the  property  and 
should  be  compatible  with  the  scale,   color,   materials, and 
character  of  the  landscape. 

3.  No  further  landfill  shall  be  permitted  in  any  wetlands  unless 
the  procedures  in  Chapter  131,   Section  40  of  the  Massachusetts 
General   Laws  (the  Wetlands  Protection  Act)  are  followed. 


( 


4.  Any  change  to  already  filled  areas  must  include  plantings  to 
aid  in  erosion  control  and  improve  appearance. 

5.  "Practical  problems  of  erosion  and  drainage  should  be  solved 

with  all  possible  regard  for  the  health  of  the  nearby  trees, 

and  the  visual  effect  on  the  pastoral  character  of  the  landscape. 

6.  in  maintaining,   removing  and  adding  plant  materials  consideration 
must  be  given  to  maintaining  existing  vistas,   creating  new 

ones  where  appropriate,   and  maintaining  defined  areas  of  shade 
and  sun. 

7.  All  plans  should  be  cared  for  according  to  good  horticultural 
practices.     Hazardous  plants  or  portions  of  plants  should  be 
removed  promptly.      Plans  with  diseases  not  practical  to  control 
or  cure  should  be  removed  promptly  to  prevent  their  infection 
of  others.     Mutilated  or  distorted  plants  should  also  be 
removed. 

8.  Plant  replacements  should  be  added  on  a  schedule  that  will 
assure  a  continuity  in  the  landscape  design. 

9.  Plant  material   replacements  and/or  new  locations  must  be 
properly  evaluated  as  to  form,   color,   texture,   arrangement, 
allowance  for  adequate  space  for  light  and  good  growth,   and 
conformance  to  the  existing  landscape. 

10.  Alteration  of  or  new  landforms  will  only  be  considered  If  they 
will  not  alter  the  basic  landscape  character. 

11.  All  natural   rock  outcrops  shil  be  preserved. 


r 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Boston  Conservation  Commission:    "The  Sawmill  Marsh,  a  natural  and  cultural 
resource  study."  Boston,   1975. 

The  Boston  200  Corporation:     West  Roxbury,   Boston  200  Neighborhood 
History  Series.      Boston,  The  Nimrod   Press,   1976. 

Codman,  John  Thomas:     Brook  Farm  Historic  and  Personal  Memoirs,    Boston, 
Arena   Publishing  Company,    1894.    (Repr.    AMS   Press,    New  York  1971) 

Fogarty,   Robert  S.:     American  Utopianism.      Itasic,    E.    E.   Peacock,   1972. 

Hinds,  William  Alfred:     American  Communities.     Oneida,   N.Y.   Office  of 
the  American  Socialist,   1878  (Repr.   Cornith  Books,   Gloucester,   1961) 

Holloway,  IVIark:     Heavens  on  Earth-Utopian  Communities  in  America 
1680-1860.      New  York,   Dover  Publications,   1966. 

Lutheran  Works  of  Mercy:    "A  Century  of  Ministry  and  Mercy  at  Brook  Farm 
1871-1971".    Boston,   1971. 

Orvis,   Marianne  Dwight:     Letters  from  Brook  Farm  1844-1847.     edited  by 
Amy  L.    Reed,   Philadelphia,   Porcupine  Press,   1972. 

Registry  of  Deeds,   Norfolk  County,   County  Courthouse,   Dedham,   Mass. 

Registry  of  Deeds,   Suffolk  County,   County  Courthouse,   Boston,   Mass. 

West  Roxbury  Historical  Society:   "Brook  Farm-A  Utopian  Community"   (pamphlet) 


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